Mr Zahawi is the first cabinet minister known to have challenged Mr Sunak over his calls for restraint in wage agreements amid fears of rising inflation. A source said: “Nadhim Zahawi has made it clear that the quality of teaching is the single most important factor in a school for results for children and we must make teaching an even more attractive profession. “Teachers deserve a salary increase and the government wants to prevent any strikes.” The payroll settlement is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. It is understandable that Mr Zahawi wrote to the Chancellor after the School Teacher Review Board, an independent panel appointed by the government to advise on salary increases, told him that a three per cent increase would not be sufficient and recommended 5%. Beneficiaries making recommendations for remuneration for other public sector sectors are expected to submit their findings to ministers shortly. Teachers’ pay in England froze last year and has fallen in real terms over the past decade. The sector is facing a retention crisis, with almost one-fifth of new teachers leaving the profession during the first two years of teaching.
Wage controversy amid rising inflation
The government had previously said that a three per cent pay rise for most teachers would be the highest pay for them since 2006. However, teachers’ unions have threatened to strike over the “alarmingly low” proposal. They are calling for wage increases to fight inflation, which would require the government to offer total wage increases of more than 9.1 per cent, based on the latest inflation figures. The National Union of Teachers / Women Teachers Association (NASUWT) said it would vote for members for national industrial action in November if teacher pay increases this year were less than 12 percent. A nine percent increase this year for new teachers would increase initial salaries from £ 25,714 to £ 28,000. Mr Zahawi also asked Mr Sunak to sign a further seven per cent increase for new teachers next year in response to the Conservatives ‘commitment in the 2019 election manifesto to increase teachers’ starting salaries to 30 30,000 by 2024. The intervention of the Minister of Education comes after he wrote for the Telegraph that a strike of teachers would be “unforgivable and unfair” in the aftermath of Covid. The Ministry of Finance has stated in the past that any increase in public sector wages “must be commensurate and balanced with the need to manage inflationary pressures and public sector finances.”
